About The Braselton news. (Jefferson, Ga) 2006-current | View Entire Issue (March 19, 2008)
Page 6B The Braselton News Wednesday, March 19, 2008 Church N e ws Sin drags us, Christ frees us In the Eyes of the Father Parrish Myers eotf@comcast.net I pulled into a parking space at the hospital. That’s when I saw him. He was probably two or three years old, sandy blond hair, wear ing blue jeans and a T-shirt. His mother was walking into the hospital, with him in tow. Now, when I say he was in tow, I mean he was in tow. This little fella appar ently did not want to go into the hospital, because he was fighting his mother every step of the way. He tried to pull his hand out of hers, but her grip was too strong. He tried dragging his feet, but she pulled him along behind her. He planted his feet and leaned as far away from her as he could, trying to his best to stop, or at the very least slow her forward progress, but it was no use. The mother was unaf fected by his struggles. His last-ditch effort was to grab hold of the doorjamb as they entered the hospital. At last, he found some thing that would stop her, but only long enough for her to reach back and pull his hand loose. At last they were inside and the doors closed on his screams. That little boy put up a valiant fight, but in the end his mother won. After all, she was bigger than he was. She was stronger than he was. And she was going to make him go where she wanted him to, no matter how much he kicked and screamed and fought against her. In that moment, I saw a picture of how sin affects us. Let’s take a poll. How many of you think the child represents sin? I can see where you might think so. After all, he’s the one who’s causing a scene. He’s the one who, in the words of my grandmother, is “raisin’ a ruckus.” No, the way I saw it, the one who represents sin is actually the mother. See, when we give in to tempta tion, we give sin control over us. In John 8:34 Jesus said, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” When we sin, we’re held captive by it. If we allow it to, it will become bigger than we are, stronger than we are; it will have authority over us. Just like that mother pulling her child along, sin will pull us along, too. We can fight it. We can kick and scream and struggle against it, but we’ll never defeat it in our own power. So what hope is there for us? Only this: to surrender ourselves and our sin to Jesus Christ. He is the only one who can help us. He is the only one who can free us from sin’s vice-like grip. Maybe you feel like that little boy at the hospital. Maybe you feel like sin has a hold on you, and it’s too big, too strong for you to break free. It is. But if you surrender yourself to Christ, he will free you from your sins. Parrish Myers is a resident of Braselton and pastor of Pine Crest Baptist Church. You can e-mail him from his website at www.eye- softhefather. com. Holy week services set Celebration Church, Hoschton, announces Holy week services. Services will be as follows: Maundy Thursday, March 20,7 p.m.; Good Friday, March 21, at noon held outside at the Cross; Easter Sunday, March 23, 7 a.m. sunrise service, 9 a.m. LifeSchool and 10:45 a.m. Easter worship service. “We invite the community to join us as we celebrate this time togeth er,” church leaders said. New Liberty plans egg hunt New Liberty United Methodist Church, Braselton, will hold an Easter egg hunt and bake sale Saturday, March 22, beginning at 10 a.m. “Shop for your favorite Easter dessert,” organizers said. “Choose from delicious homemade cakes, cookies and brownies.” All proceeds from the sale will benefit the church missions pro gram. For information, call the church office at 706-654-2406. The church is located at 26 Charlie Smith Road. Hoschton UMC plans services Hoschton United Methodist Church will hold an Easter Sonrise service, beginning around 7 to 7:25 a.m. on Sunday, March 23, in the area between the fellowship hall and the sanctuary. Breakfast will follow the service. The traditional service at 11 a.m. will include special music from the choir. Choir practice will be held at 10 a.m. Sunday school classes will not meet. The church is located at 12 Mulberry Street, behind the Hoschton city square. The church pastor is Luis Ortiz. Contact the church at706-654-1422 or hoschtonumc@windstream.net, for more information. Center UMC to host seniors Center United Methodist Church, Hoschton, will host its monthly “Super Senior Luncheon” Thursday, March 20, at 11 a.m. “All senior citizens are invited to come join us in fellowship, enjoy great food and friends,” organizers said. There is no charge for the event. The church is located at 7641 Jackson Trail Road. The church phone number is 706-654-4862. The pastor is Jeff Wright. Services set at New Liberty New Liberty United Methodist Church, Braselton, announces Holy Week services and events. Services and events are as fol lows: Maundy Thursday, March 20, a 10 a.m. worship service, a lunch will follow the service; Good Friday, March 21, at 7 p.m. the adult choir will provide spe cial music and a drama portraying the life of Peter entitled “God of Second Chances,”; Saturday, March 22, at 10 a.m. an Easter egg hunt will be offered to children of all ages. Games and activities are also planned; Easter Sunday, March 23, a sunrise service will be held at 7 a.m. with worship services at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. The church is located at 26 Charlie Smith Road. For more information, call 706-654-2406. Sunrise service set at Mt. Tabor Mt. Tabor Baptist Church, Statham, will hold its sunrise service on Sunday, March 23, at 7 a.m. Breakfast will follow. The wor ship service will begin at 11 a.m. The church is located at Hwy. 330 and Providence Road. Hoyt Johnson is the pastor. Events listed for Hoschton Baptist Church Hoschton First Baptist Church announces several upcoming events. The church will hold the annual Service of Nails on Good Friday, March 21, at 7 p.m. On Easter Sunday, March 23, Sunrise service will be held at 7 a.m. with a continental breakfast to follow. The church choir will perform during the morning service at 11 a.m. Senior Bingo will be held Wednesday, March 26, beginning at 10 a.m. For more information, contact the church office Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 706-654-2938. The church is located at 99 East Jefferson Street. Services set at Crow’s Lake White Plains Baptist Church, Jefferson, will hold its Easter ser vices at Crow’s Lake, Jefferson, this week. A sunset service on Good Friday will be held on March 21, at 7 p.m. A sunrise service on Easter will be held on Sunday, March 23, at 7 a.m. In the event of inclement weather, a tent with sides, lights and heaters will be available. Everyone is welcomed. Crow’s Lake is located at the intersection of the U.S. Hwy. 129 bypass and Ga. Hwy. 11. For more information, call the church at 706-367-5650. The Rev. Jack Lawson is the pastor of the church. People’s Baptist plans service People’s Baptist Church, Flowery Branch, will hold an Easter sunrise service March 23 at 6:30 a.m. Harvey Lance will be preaching. A Communion and footwashing service will be held during the 11 a.m. service. The church is located at 6182 McEver Road. West Jackson Primary School 4825 Highway 53 in Braselton Currently Meeting on Sundays @ 7 0:30 AM
